The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest Lacrosse league in North America.
The Calgary Roughnecks are a Canadian professional box lacrosse team based in Calgary, Alberta, that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team plays its home games at Scotiabank Saddledome. The team name is derived from the roughnecks who work drilling rigs in Alberta's oil and gas industry. The team is affectionately known by fans as the Riggers.
The Buffalo Bandits are a professional box lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York, that competes in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team plays its home games at KeyBank Center. The Bandits played in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1992 to 1997, then in its successor the NLL since 1998. Among teams in the NLL the Bandits are the second oldest team in the league behind the Albany FireWolves, the oldest franchise that was not relocated, and one of most successful teams in the league sharing the record for most league titles at 6 with the Toronto Rock and the original Philadelphia Wings franchise.
Shawn Williams is the inaugural General Manager and Head Coach of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). He is a former Canadian lacrosse player who played for the Ontario Raiders, Toronto Rock, Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Knighthawks and Edmonton Rush of the NLL and the Hamilton Nationals of Major League Lacrosse. He was also previously a scout for the Buffalo Bandits and assistant coach with the Colorado Mammoth. He was inducted to the NLL Hall of Fame in 2021 as a first ballot nominee.
Ryan Benesch is a Canadian professional lacrosse player who plays for the Halifax Thunderbirds in the National Lacrosse League. Benesch has also played for the Albany FireWolves, Colorado Mammoth, Buffalo Bandits, Minnesota Swarm, Edmonton Rush, Toronto Rock, and Panther City LC and was the 2011 NLL scoring leader. Benesch was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
The 2008 National Lacrosse League season, the 22nd in the history of the NLL, began on December 29, 2007, and concluded with the Buffalo Bandits winning the championship game over the Portland LumberJax on May 17, 2008.
The Boston Blazers were an indoor lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The Blazers were based in Boston, Massachusetts, and began play in the 2009 NLL season.
The National Lacrosse League expansion draft is a meeting where the general managers of expansion National Lacrosse League teams begin to fill their teams with unprotected players from the rosters of existing NLL teams. Such a draft occurs whenever an expansion NLL franchise is awarded. The most recent expansion draft was in 2022 for the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Prior drafts were:
The National Lacrosse League entry draft is an annual event where the general managers of National Lacrosse League teams choose eligible players for their rosters from US college programs and Canada's junior lacrosse system.
Jeff Shattler is an Iroquois professional box lacrosse player who currently plays with the Saskatchewan Rush of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). He has Ojibwe and Inuit roots and has competed internationally with the Iroquois Nationals, including with the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship silver medal winning teams in 2011 and 2015. He was the 2011 NLL Most Valuable Player, 2011 NLL Transition Player of the Year, and the 2018 NLL Cup Most Valuable Player.
William Benz Bitter is an American former professional lacrosse player for the Charlotte Hounds and Denver Outlaws of the outdoor Major League Lacrosse from 2011–2013. Bitter was also drafted by Buffalo Bandits of the indoor National Lacrosse League. Bitter played college lacrosse for the University of North Carolina.
The Edmonton Rush are a lacrosse team based in Edmonton playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2012 season was the 7th in franchise history. The Rush had a tough regular season, starting 2-7 before gaining momentum in the second half. They finished 6-10 but made the playoffs. In the playoffs, however, everything changed as the Rush beat both the Calgary Roughnecks and Minnesota Swarm in dominating performances, before losing to the Rochester Knighthawks 9-6 in the championship game.
The Buffalo Bandits are a lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York, playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2012 season was their twenty-first season in the NLL.
The 2013 National Lacrosse League season, the 27th in the history of the NLL, began on January 5, 2013 and ended with the Championship game on May 11, 2013. The Rochester Knighthawks overcame a mediocre 8-8 season to get hot in the playoffs for the second straight year, defeating the Philadelphia Wings, Minnesota Swarm, and Washington Stealth to win their second straight Championship. The Knighthawks became the first team to repeat as NLL Champions since the 2002-2003 Toronto Rock.
Dan Teat is a retired professional lacrosse player and former assistant coach for the Panther City Lacrosse Club of the National Lacrosse League. A native of Brampton, Ontario, Teat's long lacrosse career began when he was five years old in the Brampton Minor Lacrosse Association. He made his debut with the Brampton Jr. Excelsiors of the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League in 1988, winning the league's rookie of the year award. Teat began playing for the Major Excelsiors of Major Series Lacrosse in 1993, once again winning his league's rookie of the year award. His association with the Excelsiors would last over two decades, and he was a forward on squads that won Mann Cup championships in 1993, 1998, 2002, 2008 and 2009.
Travis Cornwall is a Canadian professional indoor lacrosse transition who plays for the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in the National Lacrosse League. He was drafted in the 1st round in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft. He won the Minto Cup with the Coquitlam Adanacs in 2010. His brother Jeff plays for the Calgary Roughnecks. On October 25, 2022, Cornwall signed with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs.
The Buffalo Bandits are a lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York, playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2022 season was their 30th season in the NLL. The Bandits returned to play after the entire 2021 season was cancelled due to Covid 19. They started the season on December 4 at home.
The 2023 National Lacrosse League season, formally known as the 2022–2023 season, was the 36th in the history of the NLL. The season began on December 2, 2022, and ended with the NLL final on June 3, 2023. This was the inaugural season for the expansion team Las Vegas Desert Dogs.
The Las Vegas Desert Dogs are a lacrosse team based in Las Vegas, Nevada playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2023 season was the inaugural season for the franchise and played their home games in the Michelob Ultra Arena. They are owned by Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai, former NHL player Wayne Gretzky, former NBA player Steve Nash and pro golfer Dustin Johnson. All games were televised on MyLVTV and streamed on ESPN+.
The Buffalo Bandits are a lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2025 season is their 33rd season in the NLL.
